Morning in the Library
by Fyrest
Summary: Matt has a project that he has to work on, but when Mello shows up, he can't focus for longer than ten minutes. A short little Matt/Mello one-shot. Slightly fluffy. Hope you enjoy!


**Morning in the Library**

* * *

Matt sat on the library floor, a large manila folder laid out in the space before him. His eyelids drooped dangerously low, signaling the redhead's fatigue. The area was nearly deserted, the building quiet and serene in its appearance. Matt's focus drifted far away from the task he had received, and he slumped over with exhaustion. Annoyance pricked at his mind. Why did he, of all people, have to do something so tedious and time-consuming? It was ridiculous, the amount of work they had given to him. Roger instructed him to look over an old unsolved murder case, searching through documents from the morgue, trying to determine if foul play was even apparent. By all technicalities, it might have been a simple case of a misplaced cigarette. However, that was highly unlikely, considering Roger had specified to search for foul play in the first place. However, Matt had been working for two days, and it was nearing forty-eight hours of him having no sleep; a look at the clock, which showed that it was near two in the morning, proved that fact.

Just as Matt closed the file folder, the door to the library opened roughly, and a young boy of fourteen stalked into the room. The boy slid his gaze across the redhead's form, his shoulders tense with very comprehendible frustration. He strode over to the boy, glaring down at Matt.

"What's up, Mello?" Matt asked the blond boy apprehensively. Mello narrowed his eyes.

"Where have you been?" he growled. "I haven't seen you since Tuesday." (It was Thursday.) Matt shrugged.

"Roger gave me a project, and it's taking forever."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"So, you ditch our nightly event?" Mello spat angrily. Matt sighed.

"Look, it isn't like I _wanted_ to miss it," he assured the other boy. "Trust me, I'd much rather be with you right now." His eyes drifted back down the folder, his friend's appearance giving him fresh motivation to finish the project. Mello watched the redhead sharpen his focus and, with sigh, settled on the ground where he stood, leaning against the bookshelf behind him. Crossing his legs, he closed his eyes for a moment. Matt glanced at him, then proceeding to do double take.

"What are you doing?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Staying here, obviously."

"Aren't you going to go back to your room?" Mello opened his eyes, looking at Matt in exasperation.

"What part of 'staying here' did you not get, Matt?" he grumbled. He shut his eyes once more, crossing his arms over his chest. "You said you'd rather be with me, right? Well, I'll just keep you company 'till you're done." Matt stared in shock, unsure if it was a prank or not. Mello was like that, after all.

"Well… I guess," he said uncertainly. "Thanks. I appreciate it." Mello's face went a little red, and he snorted.

"Don't think I'm doing this for you," he said hastily. "I'm just waiting until you're done so I can kick your ass later in the game." Matt smiled slightly, chuckling at Mello's embarrassment. Nevertheless, he had work to do. Shifting his gaze back to the file, resting his chin on his hand, he focused on the file before.

Mello opened his eyes a few moments later, blush gone, his feelings controlled. He had no idea why he had blushed; it wasn't as if he had thought of staying to simply please the boy near him. He had done it for the exact reason he'd stated. Silently, he studied his friend. His red hair was disordered and messy, likely due to his many hours of work. He wore a red and black striped shirt, along with a pair of faded blue jeans. Mello eyes wandered to Matt's, which his eyelashes shielded, but Mello could easily picture the green irises scanning the papers he observed. Closing his eyes, once more, Mello fell swiftly into the world of sleep.

Matt glanced over, not but a mere ten minutes after Mello's arrival, and found the blond asleep, head tilted up slightly, arms crossed lightly over his chest. A smile tugged at the red-head's lips, stifling a chuckle. Regarding the other boy thoughtfully, he sighed. How quickly the boy could tire out, he didn't know; Matt himself enjoyed staying up late into the nights, though sufficiently more when he wasn't working on a dastardly annoying project. But Mello was different. If Mello was tired, he would sleep, and for a long time, too, if you didn't wake him up. He was usually a light sleeper, but Matt had witnessed him sleep through an awful amount of noise. The only way you could keep a sleepy Mello awake was with chocolate, Matt knew, or a video game. Matt couldn't help but stare at the blond, with slight yearning in his gaze.

Matt had long since accepted that his feelings, however obvious and prominent they may have been, were highly unlikely to be returned. However, he couldn't help wondering about Mello's reactions. The blush, the hasty smiting, all invoked a curious thought of whether Mello harbored similar emotions that Matt did. Though, if it were so, Matt knew it was also unlikely the boy would ever admit it to the red-head, let alone himself. Despite the knowledge, he couldn't stifle the hope that he contained, his heart skipping every time their eyes would meet, his pulse fluttering at every tiny touch from the blond. Slowly, Matt slid the manila folder shut, leaning against the bookcase opposite his friend. Mere seconds after closing his eyes, he drifted to sleep.

Light streamed in through the windows of the library, illuminating the area dimly. Slowly, Mello fluttered his eyelids against the unwelcome brightness, shading his eyes with a hand. He looked around, studying his surroundings and taking the details in quickly. He was in the library, as expected. A look at the clock on the wall showed that it was seven in the morning. Just a glance at Matt told him that the redhead was still asleep, and deeply so. With a sigh, Mello lowered his hand, searching around for anything else. He spotted the manila folder, abandoned on the floor beside Matt. Stretching slightly, he scooted over to the item, picking it up and examining the contents that had caused his friend to avoid him. It appeared to be a rather simple quest of finding the foul play in an unsolved murder case. Mello remembered doing this sort of thing, too. _Odd that Matt was having trouble with it though,_ Mello thought. But then, Matt may have been third best, but he certainly didn't take work as seriously as Mello did. Mello glanced over at the redhead.

His hair was even worse than Mello remembered it from earlier. His goggles hung around his neck. His lips were stretched into a very small smile, as if he was dreaming about something rather pleasant. Mello couldn't help but wonder what that pleasant thing might be. He wondered if it had anything to do with him.

That thought stopped him short. Why would it have to do with him? What was he thinking, believing that Matt might like him? It was simply impossible. Their relationship was meant to stay in the "best friends" zone, and Mello intended to keep it that way, even if he wanted more.

See, Mello had like Matt for a long time now, though it was only just recently that he realized – and accepted – it. The thought that he liked Matt as more than his best friend had been quite the shock to Mello, so much that he'd avoided the redhead for the past forty-eight hours. It was only just before he decided to go search for the gamer that he finally accepted it, which was why he had offered to stay. He truly hadn't been trying to please Matt; he was trying to appease the yearning that – now that he had addressed and accepted it – had gotten far too strong for Mello to simply ignore.

But as Mello watched his friend sleep, he couldn't help the hope that he felt. Of course, this kind of hope was pointless, Mello knew that. But hope is what he did, at that moment. The sunlight shone on the redhead, making him seem even more enticing to the blonde than ever before. Mello smiled wryly, wishing that the figure before him could be _his_; he wished he could be free to feel him, in a way that their friendship wouldn't allow. But Mello didn't want to lose a good friend due to his selfish desires.

_But_, Mello thought slowly, _he is asleep, after all._ Mello's hopes rose. Perhaps, just this once, he could get that feeling out of his system. Maybe he could snatch this little moment, prove to himself that he could hold back. If he could do this, he would savor it, and maybe, just maybe, he would tell Matt what he felt.

So, hoping not to wake the sleeping gamer, Mello leaned forward, getting very close the boy's face. He could feel Matt's breath whisper across his face, and a shiver went down his back. He closed his eyes and, without another thought, closed the distance between them, allowing their lips to touch.

Matt's lips were surprisingly warm, for him to be sleeping. Mello's own tingled from the experience. His vision became a little hazed, and tried to savor the moment, the moment where he realized exactly what he was unable to have. As he pulled away, though, Matt's eyes opened.

Before Mello could jump back or try to explain, Matt grabbed hold of the blonde's arm, pulling him and closing the distance between them once more, his own thoughts muddled. For a moment, Mello was still, and Matt feared that he had made a grave mistake. However, the moment passed, and he quickly melted into the kiss. It was soft, so gentle, but it sent shivers down the two's backs. However, neither dared to deepen it, in fear of ruining the moment, of shattering what might have been just an illusion for them both.

Soon, they had to pull away, both out of breath and blushing furiously. Mello wouldn't meet Matt's gaze, but Matt could see the small smile on the blonde's face. Reaching up, he seized the boy's chin in his hand, forcing Mello to look at him. When he did, Mello leaned forward again, capturing Matt's lips in his own. Matt smiled into the kiss before he pulled away.

"Well," he said thoughtfully, looking at Mello's red cheeks with satisfaction, "this is probably the best morning I've ever had." Mello smirked.

"Of course," he said. "And you'd better expect more of them." Matt looked at him curiously.

"Oh?" he said. "Are you sure you know what you're telling me?" But before Mello could answer, he consumed him in a much more passionate kiss than before, more urgent and forceful, but also more enjoyable and enticing. When they broke apart, Mello had to take a few deep breaths before he could speak again.

"Well," he ventured, "if I get to have that, then I'd rather you have this every morning." Matt smiled, chuckling, before he looked up at the clock. His face fell.

"Crap," he muttered. Mello cocked his head to the side until he realized what he meant. They looked at the manila and then back at each other. Then, without another word, they picked it up and flicked through the information, discussing it thoroughly, holding the other's hand tightly between them.


End file.
